Paramount Citrus replaces Cuties brand with Wonderful Halos

Capitalizing on retailers’ and consumers’ familiarity with Wonderful Brands, Paramount Citrus will market its California-grown clementines and mandarins as Wonderful Halos beginning this fall.

A subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Roll Global LLC, Paramount is relying on Roll’s portfolio of Wonderful Brands to help it maintain its position in the California mandarin deal after selling the Cuties clementine brand to former partner Sun Pacific Cos., Pasadena, Calif.

“Lynda Resnick and the creative team behind the Wonderful Brands are a force to be reckoned with,” said Paramount president David Krause. “We will also be providing unparalleled marketing support to retailers as we launch Wonderful Halos this fall.”

Resnick, wife and business partner of Roll Global owner Stewart Resnick, coined the Cuties brand and created its logo in 2001.

Krause said Delano, Calif.-based Paramount will spend $100 million in the next five years to promote its new mandarin brand.

Rob Six, vice president of corporate communications at Roll, said at least $20 million will go into efforts for the 2013 crop. The plan includes a new website — HalosKids.com — set to launch this fall.

The national multimedia campaign for Wonderful Halos will focus on the “pure goodness” of the easy-peel citrus that Krause said is the perfect snack for parents and “their little angels.”

Six said Paramount is already working with retailers even though the campaign isn’t expected to hit major media until mid-November. Paramount is planning free standing inserts, point-of-sale displays, special retailer promotions and consumer events.

Wonderful Halos will be available in 3- and 5-pound bags and 5-pound boxes. Krause said the company plans to keep pricing in the same range as the 2012 season.

Krause said Paramount is recruiting additional third-party growers to supplement its 14,000 acres of California mandarins. Paramount is also partnering with Fowler Packing, Fresno, Calif., on the sales and marketing of Wonderful Halos. The two grower-shippers have 65% of the California mandarin crop between them, Krause said.

To differentiate Wonderful Halos from Sun Pacific’s Cuties clementines, Krause said Paramount intends to use the same strategies it used to build the Cuties brand — emphasis on quality and reliability.

Paramount is intentionally referring to Wonderful Halos as mandarins rather than clementines, Krause said, because the term mandarin includes both of the easy-peel citrus fruits and thus better reflects the crop Paramount offers.

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Coral Beach, Staff Writer

Coral Beach joined The Packer newsroom in February 2011, bringing more than 30 years of experience at daily newspapers, trade magazines and online publications. Beach earned a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Kansas School of Journalism in 1982.
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